Chapter 45 …
We rode the carriage back north, seeing off Lord Dan himself (he even gave me a special gift! Yahoo!).
“Did you hear? During the martial arts tournament, right in the middle of the stage…”
“My cousin was there…”
On the way back to the capital, rumors about the south drifted into my ears every so often.
Stories about the monster attack that occurred during the tournament were steadily spreading from mouth to mouth.
Well… so many people from all over the country gathered there. No wonder.
And talk of ghost lairs that could suddenly appear at any time was perfect for stirring up public anxiety.
“They say some of the kids who saw the monster went crazy!”
“Is it really safe here? I heard even the soldiers were wiped out.”
“What? Is that true?”
Rumors always grew bigger than reality the more they were passed around.
And just like the swelling rumors, people’s fear was visibly growing.
“Alright, let’s head in.”
Grandfather’s voice broke me out of my thoughts.
“We’ll be staying here for the night.”
“Okaaay.”
Just like on the way here, we were planning to spend one night in the capital.
Apparently, since Lord Dan was overwhelmed handling the aftermath and investigation, my guardian would briefly report this incident to His Majesty instead.
So! We ended up with another free day in the capital.
I guess I’m getting used to all this bustle.
Having experienced it a few times now, the capital’s overwhelming crowds didn’t feel so unfamiliar anymore.
“Come to think of it, something big happened here…”
My older brother muttered, unconsciously gripping his allowance pouch tightly.
“Right, it did…”
Hanbi, my brother, and I—this was where we’d suddenly gotten pickpocketed while sightseeing the capital streets.
The culprit was this little guy.
I narrowed my eyes and looked at the small porcelain bottle inside my luggage.
That reminded me of the bottle’s owner we had met by chance.
The boy with the golden eyes.
Now that I think about it, I still haven’t dealt with this.
I think he said he had a use for it.
Hmm. What should I do?
I didn’t know his name or where he lived, so I couldn’t find him…
Eh, whatever! I’ll worry about it later.
I headed into the inn room.
Today, I’ll just stay quietly inside the inn.
* * *
…Or so I naïvely thought.
Why?
Because I’m outside again right now!
And at this very moment, the stage for the Second Capital Theft Incident was opening.
The parties involved this time were me and…
“…Are you serious?”
“Mm-hmm.”
…San. Just the two of us.
And incredibly—this time…
We were the ones doing the stealing!
“You can do it! I’m counting on you!”
I cheered while holding the porcelain bottle.
“Go, you goblin thief!”
To explain how we got into this situation, we need to rewind a bit.
A little earlier.
I was definitely sitting quietly by the inn window.
What was he planning to use this for?
In my hand was the small porcelain bottle sealing the goblin that had stolen our money.
The smooth, glossy porcelain gleamed luxuriously in the sunlight.
“Wow, it really looks expensive.”
Even to an amateur like me, it clearly looked high-end.
“Duri-duri, what do you think?”
Using something like this just to seal a goblin thief—was he the son of some rich family?
“His clothes looked pretty ordinary though…”
I rotated the bottle in the sunlight while thinking.
Then, by chance, I glanced out the window.
“Huh?”
A familiar short-haired boy was standing in the street.
“Isn’t that San?”
I recognized him instantly even among the crowd.
San briefly scanned his surroundings, as if checking the situation, then started moving.
Where was he going?
“Saa…—”
I was about to call out to him when a thought suddenly hit me, and I snapped my mouth shut.
What if this is something he has to do secretly?
Suddenly, San’s earlier expression came to mind.
“San?”
“……”
“Hey. What are you thinking about?”
“I-It’s nothing.”
Ever since hearing we’d stay in the capital for the day, he’d been lost in thought.
“Then after this time, we’re free to rest separately?”
“Yes. We leave again tomorrow.”
“…Understood.”
And on top of that, he’d said that.
Hmmm.
I can’t ignore this!
The protagonist going off alone on some secret errand?
That obviously screams incoming incident, doesn’t it?
Besides, San was a regressor.
Which meant this could be preparation for something that would happen in the future!
Alright. Decision made.
[What are you going to do?]
Follow him!
That way I might learn something.
I quietly slipped out of the inn and followed the direction San had gone.
In the distance, I could catch glimpses of him.
Why is he walking so fast?
San moved quickly, like he had a clear destination.
He also seemed to know the layout of the area perfectly.
I hurried after him, carefully keeping my distance so I wouldn’t be noticed…
“Huff—he stopped!”
Just then, San suddenly halted.
And then…
“Eek!”
He abruptly turned around, and I hastily ducked beside a nearby street stall.
“Oh my, little customer?”
“Hello…! Let me hide for a second!”
The fruit vendor sitting at the stall looked at me in surprise.
Nearby merchants and customers all turned their attention toward me.
“Aww, how cute.”
“Kiddo, hide well!”
Please stop paying attention to me…!
“Oho, playing hide-and-seek?”
I quickly nodded and raised a finger to my lips.
The vendor smiled and mimicked the shh gesture, pretending not to notice me. Thank you!
He didn’t catch me, right?
I peeked out with just my eyes to check on San.
Thankfully, he wasn’t looking this way.
Instead…
He entered an alley at the end of the street.
Ah! I’m going to lose him!
I quickly slipped out from beside the stall.
“Did the seeker go?”
“Yes! Thank you!”
“Have fun. Oh—but you know not to go near the eastern outer forest, right?”
“Yes! Hope you sell lots!”
The vendor waved at me after the warning.
I gave a rushed reply and hurried after San.
I entered the alley he had gone into…
“Huh? Where’d he go?”
San was already nowhere to be seen.
Oh no… did I fail the tail?
I craned my neck and looked around, but it was useless.
What a waste.
“Sniff… I guess I lost him…”
“Were you referring to me?”
“Wahhh!”
At the sudden voice behind me, I jumped in shock!
Startled out of my wits, I spun around—only for my legs to tangle.
Ack!
Grab!
“Careful—”
“Eek!”
Just as I was about to fall, someone firmly caught both my shoulders.
“…Huh?”
“Be careful.”
Amethyst-like eyes came into view.
It was San.
My eyes widened at the protagonist’s sudden appearance.
“Didn’t you go into the alley?”
When did he—?
“Why are you following me?”
“Huh?—Gasp… you noticed?”
“Yes.”
“No way! Since when?”
San’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“Since you called my name back at the inn.”
What?
“You knew from the very beginning!”
So he’d been pretending not to notice the whole time? Total surveillance failure!
San let out a long sigh.
“Why were you secretly following me?”
“Uh… I was curious where you were going!”
“…Pardon?”
“I was bored too, you know.”
I rolled my eyes innocently.
“Walking around alone is dangerous. Especially for a child…”
My jaw dropped at that. Excuse me, you are what?
“You’re walking around alone too. And you’re a kid!”
“…I’m fine.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“You know that’s a terrible excuse, right?”
“……”
Apparently having no comeback, San awkwardly looked away.
Alright, in that case, I decided to go full shameless mode.
“So where were you going?”
San stared at me for a long moment, then silently turned and walked out of the alley again.
Taking that as a cue to follow, I trailed behind him.
At least he’s not walking as fast as before.
Thanks to that, keeping up wasn’t hard at all.
After walking for quite a while, the place that came into view was—
“Huh? I’ve been here before.”
Ah! That’s it!
I clapped my hands.
It was where I first met San—when I came to fill out the guardian paperwork.
Now that I looked, I could also see the large building I had entered back then.
“Why are we here?”
“…There’s something I need to retrieve.”
“Retrieve? What is it?”
I tilted my head.
Did he leave something important behind?
San was staring intently at a certain spot, his expression serious.
What is it?
